Campus Violence Strikes Close to Home

Another student has been killed on campus. On Oct. 22, a 21-year-old man tracked down his 16-year-old ex-girlfriend at John Glenn High School in Norwalk and shot her in front of her classmates. The murder of Catherine Tran has raised questions about public school security. ANNA MARIE STOLLEY talked to local high school students about how safe they feel on their campuses.

GABRIELA LOPEZ, 16, senior, Reseda High School

My school is pretty safe. A few years ago, one student at Reseda killed another. Because of that shooting, people still think Reseda is a dangerous campus, but it’s not. Security is pretty tight. They have random metal detections in class; they check every third student. It’s reassuring that they do that. We also have security guards at the main entrance and there’s a police officer around.

I don’t know anyone who has brought a knife or a gun onto our campus. If I did, I would report it right away. There are no names on the bullets inside a gun. I think the majority of the students here would do the same. As a student body, we do not want history to repeat itself.

One way to keep campuses safe is through education. We have a program called Weapons Are Removed Now. We meet every Monday at lunch and make up skits to take to junior high and elementary schools. We teach them not to bring guns to school and that reporting weapons is the smart thing to do.

SANDY SHIN, 14, freshman, University High School

There are a lot of fliers around our school that say if you see a weapon, save a life and tell someone. I would do that.

I think my school is safe--although we don’t have metal detectors and I think we should. We have security guards and an administrator at the back gate.

This is my first year at a public school and I can get scared. I went to private school with only girls. My parents are worried about my being here. They watch the news and hear about what happens on some campuses. When they went to school in Korea, it was a lot safer. My parents are very protective of me. They said that if I have any problems, they’ll put me in another school, but I’ve made friends and like it here.

KAMERON SMITH, 15, sophomore, Westchester High School

If someone wanted to get on my school’s campus and kill a student, they could probably find a way.

Westchester sometimes has “tardy sweeps” after the last bell rings, when they round up everyone not in class- rooms. You have to prove you belong in the school. We have security guards and the police are around. But there are still people who don’t belong on campus who just walk right inside.

I’ve seen some bloody fights on campus, but usually people are just using their fists. We have some gang problems, but generally gangs aren’t on campus because they know the police will arrest them.

We don’t have metal detectors. Sometimes they check kids’ bags. As far as I know, Westchester students don’t bring guns to school. Kids bring screwdrivers for protection and sometimes razor blades that they hide in their mouths. A razor blade will just cut somebody right up, so who needs a knife?

STEVEN GOLDBERG, 16, junior, Calabasas High School

Although it disturbs me to hear that a student was killed at another school, we’re used to violence. We watch it on the news and in the movies. People my age don’t scare easily over murder.

My school doesn’t have a lot of security, but it’s Calabasas. The teachers here joke that we live in a bubble. We don’t have metal detectors or security guards. Sometimes they bring in a dog who sniffs out things like drugs, but I don’t think the dog has ever found much more than aspirin. I don’t think we should put any more money into making our school safer. We don’t need metal detectors, and that dog’s got to go.